Americans across the country have found a wealth of ways to spread good cheer this holiday. Get inspired with thoughtful ideas that prove how much better it is to give than to receive.

Party with a purpose.

Party with a purpose.

After becoming first-time mothers in January 2011, Chicagoans Sarah Kozlowski and Amy Cahill started morethanmilk.org, a non-profit that brings together moms who want to give back. They host parties and get-togethers with the goal of collecting donations to benefit various charities. For example, this December, they’re partying with 75 locals who will donate gently used pajamas to There With Care, a Denver-based organization benefiting families facing critical illnesses. Want to try something yourself? “Invite everyone over to cook, then send each person home with a plate,” says Kozlowski. When she and her friends did this, participants donated the cookies to firefighters, police officers, postal workers, and hospital workers.

Teach your children to care.

Teach your children to care.

Julia Beck, founder of Philanthropic Moms, has instilled the spirit of giving in four children. “Every year, my son goes through his room and gathers up toys, games, and clothing he’s no longer using,” says Beck, who lives in the Washington, DC, area. Beck’s daughter, Rebecca, once participated in a “giving circle,” an idea started by a family friend. Rebecca, then 13, and her friends pulled together some of their bat and bar mitzvah money to donate about $2,000 to a charity of their choice. Several non-profit leaders gave the teens a presentation about the various missions of their organizations. “I want her to grow up with the understanding that we’re here to extend ourselves to others who need our help,” says Beck.